


Devotion

by vivi_ntvg



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, M/M, One Shot, Post-Canon, pain followed by fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:02:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28619997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivi_ntvg/pseuds/vivi_ntvg
Summary: A group of evil sorcerers take Yugi to try and force him to get Atem back. But they are about to find out just how devoted the pharaoh and his vessel are to each other.
Relationships: Atem/Mutou Yuugi, Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi
Comments: 32
Kudos: 88





	Devotion

**Author's Note:**

> It's been ages since I wrote something, but this idea wouldn't leave me, so... *drops this here and runs*

The rays of the sun fell directly on Yugi as he woke up, yawning. Why was he up already? The light of the sun had never roused him from sleep before, why would it now?

A second later, the pervasive heat of the room registered in his mind. Oh yeah, _that_ would probably be enough to wake him up. But why was his room so hot?

_Right_ , because he wasn’t in his bedroom in Domino, but in a hotel room in Cairo, where it got hot pretty early in the day. He sighed as he kicked the blankets to his feet. He probably should’ve turned the air conditioner on.

He tried to go back to sleep, but then his thoughts went to the reason _why_ he had come here in the first place. Why he had taken this trip alone, despite his friends’ concerns.

It was the one-year anniversary of the Ceremonial Duel.

One year since he’d defeated Atem in a duel. One year since he’d passed on to the afterlife. One year since he’d last had a chance to really interact with him. After all, even though it had been six months since he’d last actually _seen_ his other self, there hadn’t been a lot of time for catching up then, before he left once more, this time for good. (Well, unless the Millennium Ring possessed someone _else_ , but Yugi really hoped that wouldn’t be the case.)

A familiar dull ache throbbed in his heart. It had eased over time, but he doubted it would ever truly go away.

Well, he wasn’t going to fall back asleep, that much was clear, so he might as well get started on his day. If he felt too tired, he could always have an early night tonight.

x

Yugi looked around him with interest. The street was crowded with tourists and locals alike, and merchants in stalls sold a large variety of souvenirs, food, and other products. The traffic on the road advanced slowly, and he was glad he’d decided to go on foot; the drivers all looked pretty annoyed.

He stopped at a park to sit down and drink some water; he really wasn’t used to the weather being so hot. He pulled a map of Cairo from his pocket to check where he was going. Grandpa had given him a list of suggestions of what to visit, based on what he knew, and he planned to go to some of those places. But for his first day, he didn’t have a destination in mind; he just wanted to walk. Soak in the place.

And try not to think too much about Atem. At least until the actual anniversary date, when he was going to the place where the tomb used to be. That day, he’d decided, he would not hold back. He would let himself feel whatever he wanted, cry if he deemed it necessary.

But not today.

Still, unconsciously (or perhaps more consciously than he cared to admit), his feet took him in that direction, gradually getting far from the city centre and closer to its edges. Here, there were less tall buildings, and the houses seemed older. There were fewer cars too; the overall feeling was that this was a less rich part of the city. If he squinted, he could pretend that this was what Egypt was like three thousand years ago, when...

_Stop_ , he told himself.

He kept walking.

Yugi was almost at the edge of the city when he thought he heard his name being called. He stopped and looked around, but nobody seemed to be searching for anybody. The few people who _were_ staring at him, probably because of the pale colour of his skin, were children.

He started forward.

_Yugi..._

There it was again. Just _where_ was the voice coming from?

_Wait._

He leaned against the wall of a house and closed his eyes. He heard the call once more, and understood then: the voice he was hearing was inside his head. But who was it? (He denied that, just for a fraction of a second, a certain name had come to mind.)

_Come..._

He considered asking where, but then realised that the voice seemed to be getting further away from him. Guiding him.

A part of him was alarmed. Whoever was doing this clearly knew some sort of magic, and previous encounters with magic users told him he might be in danger if he did what the voice asked. But then again... what was the harm? In the past, what any magician who attacked him had really wanted was the puzzle, or the power inside it. Now, it wasn’t even in this realm anymore. What could anyone possibly want from _him_? Plain old Yugi, not the vessel for the spirit of a strong, ancient Pharaoh?

If nothing else, he could find out who knew his name and could apparently speak to him telepathically. He made up his mind and followed the voice.

It led him between houses, through narrow corridors, and finally down a steep, winding staircase that ended in a hallway. At the end of it was a basement lit with torches. Yugi took only one step further inside before stopping.

There, clearly waiting for him, were four people clad in robes similar to the kind he’d seen on Rishid.

“Yugi Muto”, one of them –a man- spoke, “welcome.”

Yugi almost asked how they knew his name before realising the absurdity of the question. He instead jumped to the next. “Who are you? And why did you call me here?” He almost asked what they wanted from him, but figured it might be too aggressive a question, especially when he still didn’t know if they were friendly or not.

“Who we are isn’t important, Yugi Muto. What matters is-”

“I think it is”, Yugi interrupted, crossing his arms. “You were inside my mind. From what I’ve seen, that type of magic isn’t used by people with the best of intentions.”

The one who had spoken chuckled. “My, aren’t you a clever one. It is clear why you’re the King of Games.”

“You still haven’t answered the question.” Yugi didn’t relax in the slightest. The avoidance of the man (well, of all of them, really) was pretty suspicious.

“Of course, of course. Well, as you have correctly deduced, we are sorcerers. We are a group all over the world, and we use our powers for accomplishing various tasks. Which brings us to your second question: why we brought you here.”

“Today”, another one of the people (also a man) said, “will be a joyous day, Yugi Muto. For today, you shall be reunited with the soul that you once hosted, the pharaoh who sacrificed himself to seal the incarnation of evil away for thousands of years. Yes, Yugi Muto, today you shall meet Pharaoh Atem once again!”

Yugi stiffened, and his mouth hung open while his mind filled with questions. Were they serious? How could he meet with his other self again when they were in practically opposite worlds? Was this supposed to be permanent? Were they just trying to get the power of the pharaoh, like so many had before?

There was a part of him that was filled with sudden, desperate hope that he would indeed see him again. He tried to quash it. Even if what they were saying was true, he shouldn’t want it. After all, why had he taken it upon himself to face Atem in the Ceremonial Duel, if not to make sure that he would pass away and be finally free of his burden? The dead shouldn’t linger in the land of the living, as Ishizu had said.

All these were solid reasons, but they did nothing to stop the pounding of his heart, or the question that escaped his mouth. “How?” He took a step closer.

“You are the vessel of the pharaoh”, another voice (were they all men? Probably) spoke. “Part of his soul still lives in you. By tapping into it, you should be able to contact him.”

“Of course, simply speaking to one who is in the afterlife isn’t quite so easy, which is where we come in. With our powers, we can reach into this realm. Normally it is forbidden to mortals, and even we cannot communicate with it for long.” This was someone else speaking. He didn’t bother to keep track. There were more important things to pay attention to. Additionally, he felt... somewhat dizzy, suddenly.

“However, with the connection that exists between your souls, we believe you may be able to keep in contact with him... permanently.”

“How?” he asked again. That wasn’t exactly what he’d meant to ask, but the dizziness was growing. Something inside him was telling him to stop asking questions and just go with it. He wanted to see Atem again, didn’t he? This was his opportunity.

“That isn’t quite as important. Just come with us, Yugi Muto, and we’ll make your wish come true.”

His wish. Yes, his wish to see the other him one more time. Just like that time at the fire, when he’d been frantically putting the puzzle together... And now it wouldn’t even be that dangerous...

He blinked and shook his head, trying to clear the fog that seemed to have taken over it, but to no avail. Somehow he heard his own voice speaking: “Let’s do it.”

It felt like someone else was moving him as he walked forward, towards the robed figures who quickly placed him on a pedestal. They surrounded him, holding hands, and began chanting in a strange language, assuring him he would know when his part came.

He fell into a sort of trance, vaguely aware of his surroundings, pondering about what Atem’s reaction would be when he saw him. Would he be happy? Would he be mad? Wait. Why would he be mad? That made no sense. His other self cared for him, he knew that. Maybe he should just stop thinking.

The chanting got louder, and suddenly he felt it; a strange pull towards... something, something that covered his vision in an impenetrable white haze.

He couldn’t see anything, but he thought he could hear voices over the chanting. They were too soft to make out words, though. He tried to focus on the pull again, and... _there_. Something much more familiar was right at the edge of his consciousness. He tried to reach out to it, to call it, but it didn’t react at all. He persisted, though, and soon enough he felt... well, he couldn’t define it, really, but whatever it was, it lifted the fog in his head for a second.

And in that second, he saw everything with perfect clarity.

What he was doing was wrong. Even if he could talk to Atem, what good would that do? It wouldn’t bring him back, nor should he want that. But more than that: _why_ were these sorcerers so interested in making this connection? A simple talk would not benefit them in the slightest. Which meant that, like everyone else before them, they _also_ wanted the power of the pharaoh, and this was their way of getting it: by using him as a conduit.

He pulled back from the... _feeling_ , the contact, whatever it was, and tried to think properly once again. The fog kept getting in the way, though. He tried to move and found that, at some point, the sorcerers had chained him to a wall or something. Normally he would’ve panicked, but in his dulled state he couldn’t really manage it; only a vague alarm passed through him instead.

So he spoke. More or less. “Ss...top. This... wrong.”

He hadn’t realised how loud the chanting had grown until it went silent. “What do you mean?” one of them said. “You must be reunited with-”

“No”, he interrupted. “Other... happy.” Making his tongue work was hard, but he managed it. “You... want... power.”

The sorcerers looked at each other. “So... you will not contact the Nameless Pharaoh?” one of them asked, in the tones of one who wants clarification.

“No.” He put as much emphasis into the word as he could.

One of them pulled a knife from somewhere in his robe. The vague alarm became sharper in Yugi’s mind.

“Wait”, another one said, “maybe we can persuade-”

“No”, the one with the knife said, advancing towards Yugi. He tried to back away (to no avail). “He’s under and still coherent enough to not cooperate. The easy way won’t work.”

The other one sighed, but he didn’t sound sorry or sympathetic at all. It was an annoyed noise. “Fine. But you know this means we’ll have to clean up the place afterwards.”

Despite what was clearly a spell cast on his mind, he could still panic as the sorcerer with the knife approached him. He grabbed his arm roughly, holding the weapon with his other hand.

“If you won’t bring the pharaoh to us willingly”, he said, “then we’ll _make_ you bring him to us.”

The knife fell. Yugi screamed.

x

“Good game”, Atem said as he put away his cards.

“I really thought I had you there at the end, my pharaoh”, Mahaad said. “I wasn’t expecting you to pull off something like that.”

Atem just shrugged. “Well, I do have more experience in this particular version of duels than you. It’s a matter of...” he trailed off as he felt... _something_ brushing against his mind. That was odd, since breaking into people’s minds wasn’t possible in the afterlife. And nobody from outside could reach, either. What was that?

“My pharaoh?” Mahaad asked, but Atem just held up a hand and focused. That feeling... it was so familiar. Something he knew well... or some _one_.

Wait.

_Yugi?_

But how? They were in completely different realms now! Realms that were unconnected, and should _stay_ separated. Admittedly, when he first came here, he sometimes imagined that he heard his partner’s voice even when it wasn’t the case. But eventually, he had to accept that the living and the dead did not mix together.

Even if he sometimes missed Yugi terribly.

Still, this was completely different. This was no figment of his imagination. Whether it was really Yugi or not, someone was trying to contact him.

He tentatively reached toward it, trying to mentally get closer... and suddenly, the connection snapped shut, like a wire that got cut. The feeling disappeared completely, to the point that he might as well have imagined the whole thing.

He hadn’t, though. He knew that much.

“My pharaoh?” Mahaad asked again, seeing some shift in his expression, perhaps.

“I thought... I felt as though someone was trying to contact me.”

The magician’s eyebrows went up. “Someone from the land of the living?”

“Maybe.” What else could it be? “Would it be possible?”

Mahaad was thoughtful. “Not as far as I know, but there are many branches of dark magic, and more often than not it crosses the threshold of what is acceptable. It could be possible that, in some forbidden book somewhere, a spell exists to allow a living soul to contact the afterlife.”

Atem frowned. So there _was_ a chance that it had been his partner... but still, how did he perform a spell that not even Mahaad knew?

The answer was obvious: he hadn’t. Which meant that Yugi, or whoever it was, was in the company of some less than savoury wizards, if the kind of spells they did were anything to go by.

He had to act somehow. What if it was indeed his partner and he was in danger? The problem was that he couldn’t really do anything from here. The time he helped Yugi defeat Diva, his brief return had been aided by the gods, in order to prevent the destruction of the planet; it had been a dire situation. This time, the potentially dangerous event was of a much smaller scale, and personal. He wasn’t sure the gods would agree to help him.

“My pharaoh”, Mahaad interrupted his thoughts, “would you like me to check on Yugi Muto for you?”

Atem blinked. Right, he had forgotten. Because Mahaad had bound himself to the figure of the Dark Magician with his powers, he had certain abilities beyond what the dead could usually do. And he could go down to Earth as a spirit if he had to, by connecting with a Dark Magician card somewhere.

And Yugi’s deck was never too far from him...

“Actually, yes, Mahaad. That would be fantastic. Thank you.”

The magician was gone in an instant. Atem told himself not to count down the seconds until he returned. After all, Mahaad needed to _find_ his partner first, which may not be easy. The man had told him that Yugi had an aura similar to Atem’s own, which made him stand out against other people a bit more, but that didn’t mean Mahaad’s search would be over quickly.

And so he waited.

x

By now, Yugi had forgotten what it was like to not feel pain.

It had become a constant presence; a companion, even, if an unwanted one. Trying to ignore it would be like trying not to focus on a very large dog that decided to plop down onto your lap. Completely pointless. Besides, at this point, if he were to try and focus on it, he wouldn’t know where to even begin. The numerous cuts and nicks of the knife on his skin, some deep enough that Yugi had passed out from blood loss? The bruised and swollen places where he was sure some bones had been broken? The burning, dry ache of his throat, because they barely kept him hydrated enough to live? His swollen, empty stomach?

It was hard to zoom in on any one of these sensations; instead, it was a general state of feeling utterly horrible all the time. Still, thinking about it was better than listening to the sorcerers’ words, saying how this could all be over in an instant if he simply agreed to contact the pharaoh. A few seconds, they said; it was all they needed.

Yeah, right. As if he was going to let anyone use Atem for their own gain ever again. That was the one thought he clung to, when the pain felt like too much. Sometimes, an insidious voice in his mind (or the sorcerers themselves) asked how much longer he thought he could hold out. He would rather not think about that.

His other self had endured three thousand years of darkness. Yugi could take a bit of pain for him. Well, okay, not a bit. A lot. Constantly. But the point remained. Even if... even if there was no hope of escape for him, at all, he knew it would end eventually; he wasn’t immortal, and neither were his captors for that matter. It was a terrifying thought, but true. Atem hadn’t known, when he sealed himself in the puzzle, if he’d ever come out.

And so it was that the memory of his other self’s courage and sacrifice inspired him to do the same. Atem had protected the world; he deserved Yugi protecting him, now.

There were times, he couldn’t deny, when he hoped that the sorcerers would go too far in their torture and kill him. Not only would it put an end to his torment, but it would both reunite him with his other self and effectively prevent anyone from trying to use the pharaoh’s power ever again.

But they were too careful for that. When he bled too much, they cauterized the wound (which caused more pain), and when there was no place left for them to work on, they would heal him with magic and start all over again.

It was in these brief respites that Yugi could clear his head for a few precious seconds. In those moments, he thought about his predicament and renewed his determination to not let these men get what they wanted. He did not dare entertain hope that he would be rescued. He didn’t even know how long it had been; it felt like eternity, but realistically he knew that wasn’t true. His friends and family weren’t even worried about him yet, probably.

Thus, Yugi held on.

x

Atem stalked towards the temples for the gods, trying to spend all his angry energy on walking faster so he didn’t snap at them and sabotage his purpose. He was boiling with rage. After over a week, Mahaad had finally come back from the land of the living... to bring a report Atem could’ve never been prepared for.

Yugi was being brutally tortured in an attempt, as usual, to get Atem’s powers.

His partner had been through some difficult times because of him, it was true, but this was beyond anything that had ever happened. This was an extreme that Atem could not tolerate. _Would not_ tolerate. Deep down, he felt the guilt associated with the fact that Yugi was in trouble because of him, but it was like a candle before an inferno when compared with his anger.

Back when he was a spirit with no concept of himself, he had intervened whenever people mistreated Yugi, and dealt harsh punishments to them. He didn’t regret having stopped the Penalty Games, especially when he knew how much his partner wouldn’t approve, but right now he was seriously considering using one.

First, however, he needed to get back down to Earth, and he could only do so if the gods allowed him to.

Or, really, one god in particular.

x

The former pharaoh had forgotten what this was like, to have your own, real body. In a way, he hadn’t actually experienced it since he was alive: Yugi’s body wasn’t his own, and the one he’d had while in his memories wasn’t real. Still, after a year of being in the afterlife, things like breathing felt strange.

Not that he was going to complain about it. This body was a gift from Osiris himself, after all. After explaining Yugi’s predicament to the god, and how it was only right that he aid him once more, he had agreed to let him go back. Osiris had been outraged that somebody was attempting to alter the natural separation of realms, and had lent his power to Mahaad to help with the rescue.

Atem looked down at his hands. He had asked Osiris how long this body would last. How long he could stay. Considering the description Mahaad had given him, even once they rescued Yugi, it would take him time to recover from his wounds. Time during which he would be vulnerable to another attack by the same people. This, he had mentioned to the god as well.

“In that case”, Osiris had said, “you may stay in the realm of the living as long as you deem it necessary, to ensure that Yugi Muto is no longer in peril of any kind caused by having been your vessel. So let it be written, so let it be done.”

Now here he was, standing at the top of a staircase that descended into darkness, with Mahaad’s spirit at his side. The magician may not have a physical body, but Osiris’ strength would more than make up for it.

“Remember, my pharaoh”, Mahaad whispered. “Do not come until I tell you to. I do not know what kind of magic these men have, and if you are captured by them, Yugi Muto’s sacrifice will have been in vain. Do not let the spilling of his blood be for nothing.”

Atem nodded. He really, really wanted to partake in the upcoming fight, wanted nothing more than to make these people pay for what they had done to his partner, but he was aware that his magical prowess was nowhere near that of Mahaad’s. His main strength, back in his day, had been the ability to summon the three gods. In a fight with pure magic, however, he was at a distinct disadvantage.

So he’d have to stay back, and leave it in Mahaad’s capable hands.

“Good luck”, he whispered as the spirit glided down the stairs.

He strained to hear something, until suddenly the sound of shouting came from down below. For the next few minutes, that was all that could be heard. He could console himself with the fact that Mahaad couldn’t be harmed, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried. He struggled not to rush down to find his partner, who was caught in the middle of the fight and very prone to taking damage from either side, even on accident. The one thing that kept him from throwing caution to the wind was that, like Mahaad had said, the other magicians needed Yugi alive and thus couldn’t threaten to kill him.

Finally, his old friend’s voice was heard again.

“My pharaoh, it is safe. Come quickly.”

Atem had to remember that running down stairs was a terrible idea and might break the neck of this gifted body. It felt like eternity until he finally reached the end and entered a basement.

Four bodies lay on the ground, unmoving, covered by robes. He didn’t bother checking whether they were still breathing, for his attention was caught by the mangled figure lying against the wall.

Yugi.

Now, Mahaad had warned him that his partner was in bad shape. He hadn’t attempted to minimise just how far his torturing had gone when describing it, though he had done so in gentle tones. But nothing could’ve prepared him for seeing him like this.

Bloodied, bruised, nearly every inch of his skin marred somehow, eyes half-closed and delirious with pain, body sprawled on the ground because he no longer had the strength to sit up. There were chains near him, and he imagined they had been on his arms before they had been broken. Yugi’s lips were twisted into a grimace.

For a moment, he was frozen; then he ran to him and kneeled on the floor. He wanted to hold him and comfort him, assure him it was all over, but couldn’t. Not when his partner looked so fragile; the last thing he wanted was to cause him more pain.

So he chose to speak, instead. “Yugi?” No answer. He called him again, and again, until finally his partner fully opened his eyes. They took a moment to focus on him.

“What...” he blinked. “Other me?” he breathed.

Tears suddenly formed in Atem’s eyes at the nickname he hadn’t heard in a year. _Gods_ , he had missed him so much. He tried to hold them back.

“Yes, partner. I’m here.”

He looked confused for a moment, and then his expression morphed into one of deep relief. Atem thought he understood why, until he spoke again.

“Oh, I’m dead.” Still in that raspy, barely there voice.

With no warning, the tears slid down his cheeks. He couldn’t pay them any attention. _How_ could his partner sound so relieved saying those words? The Yugi he knew would’ve never been happy about being dead. Not his Yugi, who had always been so cheerful and optimistic, even in the worst of circumstances.

Except now. He had given up hope. He was in such deep pain that he welcomed death as an escape from it.

A sob crawled up his throat. He had trouble keeping it in.

“No, partner...” He couldn’t continue, not without completely losing what he had left of composure. Though, why he even tried to hold onto it in the first place, he had no idea. Old habits die hard, he supposed.

“Hey, don’t cry”, Yugi smiled (he _smiled_ , for _him_ ), and tried to reach up to his cheek, but stopped with a wince. “You know-” he had to cough before continuing “-I would’ve thought being dead would be less painful.”

“Partner...” he couldn’t stop the sobs then. His shoulders were wracked with them, tears freely running down his cheeks and dripping on the floor. He knew he was only alarming Yugi, breaking down like this, but he couldn’t help it.

“My pharaoh”, Mahaad spoke then, approaching them. “I know this is difficult, but you need to pull yourself together. He needs you.”

He barely noticed Yugi’s eyes drift to the magician and widen in surprise. “Dark Magician?”

“Yes. Now sleep.” He placed an immaterial finger on Yugi’s forehead. His eyes closed immediately.

Atem took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “I’m sorry”, he said. “It’s just-”

“Do not think you have to justify yourself for having emotions, my pharaoh. Anyone would’ve been shocked. Just remember that you are the only one who can help him.”

“Can’t you do anything about some of his wounds?”

“Not with the magic I currently possess, no. You must get help from above. If I remember correctly, this basement is in a crowded street, so it shouldn’t be hard. Now go. I must return to our realm.” He looked behind his shoulder. “And get rid of the evidence, too.” He made a hand gesture, and Atem felt a shift in the air. He glanced back and noticed that the four bodies were no longer there.

Atem nodded and Mahaad swiftly vanished. He took one more second to recompose himself, and then tore himself from his partner’s side to run upstairs.

The language barrier and the difficulties it would present hadn’t occurred to Atem until he had to get help. He stopped a running child and tried to explain the situation in Japanese... only for the child to look at him with a blank stare and say something incomprehensible. Only then did he remember that Japanese wasn’t spoken in Egypt.

It had taken the help of three adults and a lot of frantic gesturing to get his meaning across, but finally, half an hour later, an ambulance had arrived and a couple of paramedics were following him down the stairs into the basement. He watched anxiously as they placed his partner on a stretcher with the utmost care, and then brought him up and into the ambulance. Atem got in with the medics, and no one said anything.

The drive to the hospital was silent. Once they got there, Yugi was quickly taken somewhere he didn’t understand, but he hoped he would get the treatment he needed. Afterwards, he was taken to a room, where they gestured for him to stay, until a nurse arrived and greeted him in Japanese, introducing herself as nurse Tamaka.

“Your friend is in pretty bad shape”, she told him. Atem gritted his teeth.

“I know”, he replied. “Can you help him?”

The woman smiled. “That’s what you had him brought here for, isn’t it? Although, there are some things we need to know. Namely, whether your friend had travel insurance.”

“I... don’t know”, he admitted. “But no matter how much it costs, I will find a way to pay for it.” It was only after he boldly stated this that he realised he had no money, no identification, not even a last name. He hadn’t been thinking about such practicalities when he had been worried about Yugi’s life, but in hindsight he should’ve asked Osiris for help in that regard. The god wouldn’t really know that such things were important in the modern world. Still, it didn’t matter right now. “How is he?”

The nurse took a folder she was carrying. “He’ll recover”, she started, and he immediately sagged in relief. “He has a lot of injuries, true, but none of them are lethal. The worst parts are the thirst and the starvation.”

“Starvation?” Atem was alarmed. His partner had been in too rough a shape for him to notice if he seemed more gaunt than usual.

“Yes. The doctor was aghast when he noticed this. We’ll have to pass him some fluids. He’s also lost a lot of blood. It will take him some time to fully get back to normal, especially his broken bones. He’ll probably have to stay a couple of days so we can monitor him, and give him some strong painkillers. But he doesn’t need to stay in the ICU, so there’s that.”

It took Atem a moment to recall the meaning of the acronym. “Can I visit him?”

“Not yet. We’ve given him morphine to keep him asleep for a while. And besides”, the nurse’s voice grew serious, “we want to know _why_ your friend ended up like this.” She looked at him almost suspiciously. “All the signs point to this boy being _tortured_. This kind of mistreat is deliberate, and not your usual domestic violence or street beating up, either. It’s more like what you’d expect drug dealers to do. Know anything about that?”

Atem swallowed and thought carefully. He didn’t want to lie, but he couldn’t tell the truth, either. A half-truth, then. “The people who did that to him... they wanted to get to me. They thought that... by torturing him, they could get him to reveal my location.”

“And why did they want to get to you that badly? What did they want from you?”

“I... have something that they want. It’s...” He thought quickly. “It’s a relic I got from my parents. It’s from here, actually, and said to have belonged to the ancient pharaohs.”

“And as such, it could be worth millions”, the nurse finished.

“Exactly.”

“And how did your parents get your hands on it?” she asked.

Atem wanted to point out that this felt more like an interrogation from the police than from a nurse, but bit the comment back. From an outsider’s perspective, the whole situation was fairly suspicious, after all.

“I don’t know. They said it was a family relic, passed down through generations. Either way, these people found out about it somehow, and tried to offer me money for it. When I refused... well, they tried other methods.”

“I see. And what’s your name, then, if your family has this relic?”

“Atem... Sennen.” The last name came naturally, for some reason.

“Hmm. Doesn’t ring a bell.” The nurse shrugged. “Well, Atem...”

Someone knocked on the door. She had a brief conversation with the person and then turned to him. “I have to go now. I will write down all that you’ve told me, so the police can have some clue, when they come, but you’ll have to give an account, all right? Don’t go far.”

“Can I go see my friend, even if he’s not awake? I know you said no visiting, but there’s no one else for him right now.”

“Atem...”

“Please.”

She sighed. “Very well. But do not disturb him.”

So it was that Atem ended up at Yugi’s bedside. On his way there, he realised he needed to solve his situation with the authorities and soon, if he didn’t want to end in a cell.

All thoughts about that went out the window, though, when he saw his partner.

Most of his injuries were now covered in bandages, but he wasn’t sure if that was better or just worse. There was a cast around one of his arms, and though the lower half of Yugi’s body was under the sheet, he bet it looked just like the visible part. A tube was attached to his hand, ending in a bag with a plastic liquid. He had a vague memory of having seen something like that before, though he couldn’t recall what it was for.

There was a chair next to his bed, so he sat down there and just looked at Yugi.

“I’m sorry, partner”, he murmured. “I never wanted you to go through this much pain for my sake. I wish... I could make it up to you.”

Yugi didn’t stir. He hadn’t expected him to.

There was a familiar belt on the small table next to the bed. The belt where Yugi carried his cards. Apparently, the men who had tortured him hadn’t taken it off him. He picked up the deck and checked it. Some cards he recognised, others he didn’t. He picked out the Dark Magician, and put him in his pocket, glad he had one in his clothes (though he wasn’t sure why he was wearing what Yugi usually wore instead of his pharaoh’s outfit). It was comforting, in a way.

There was nothing to be done. So he just sat, and waited.

A couple of hours later, the police finally came to talk to him. Nurse Tamaka was there, too, to act as an interpreter. The very first thing they asked was what he was afraid of.

His identification.

He thumbed the card in his pocket, and a crazy idea suddenly crossed his head. Could he do that? He’d been able to call the cards he wanted to his hand before, but this was quite different.

Only one way to find out. He didn’t really have a choice. He closed his eyes, focused on what he wanted, then pulled the card out from his pocket and handed it to them.

The fact that they didn’t immediately laugh or give him a dirty look told him it had worked. And apparently, the effect of his willpower on the card was stronger than expected, because they hardly asked any questions after the nurse explained to them what he had told her. They soon left him alone, for which he was relieved.

He returned to Yugi.

When nurse Tamaka came to let him know that he had to leave because visiting hours were over, he realised he had nowhere to go. Well, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like he had to leave the hospital. He simply headed to an area where he remembered seeing some comfortable looking recliners. On his way there, he passed the (already closed) hospital canteen. The sight of food made his stomach rumble miserably, and he realised he hadn’t eaten anything in... well, since he’d materialised on Earth.

Not that it mattered right now. Even if the canteen had been open, he didn’t have money to buy anything.

He settled in a recliner and tried to sleep.

x

He was gently shaken awake by nurse Tamaka.

“Good morning, honey”, she said. “I know you’re worried, but you didn’t have to stay here, you know. You could’ve gone home.”

Atem shrugged. His stomach chose that moment to remind him of its lack of food. The nurse eyed him critically.

“When was the last time you ate something?”

He shrugged again. “Don’t remember.”

“Aren’t you starving?”

“Not really.”

“The noises your stomach is making are saying otherwise, dear.”

Atem blushed a bit. “I... don’t have any money on me”, he admitted.

Nurse Tamaka stared at him for a second. “Come with me”, she said.

She took him to the canteen and bought him a sandwich and a bottle of water, despite his insistence that it wasn’t necessary. Once they were seated, he tried not to wolf his food down, which was harder than it sounded; he was ravenous.

“Visiting hours start soon. Your friend... what was his name again?”

“Yugi”, Atem said between bites.

“Right. He’ll wake up at some point, if you wanted to talk with him. Though I don’t know how much he’ll want to speak, in his current state. And you should let him rest.”

“Of course. I won’t be any trouble.”

x

At first, Atem had been staring intently at Yugi, waiting for him to open his eyes, but he could not stay alert for long. He hadn’t got a lot of sleep, and he was feeling it now. Every now and then he blinked, and each time it became harder to keep his eyes open. He was in a semi-awake state when he felt it.

Yugi stirring beside him.

That woke him up fairly quickly, and he stood up from the chair to watch as his partner blinked a few times before finally opening his eyes. Those eyes he had missed so much.

“What...” he croaked, and coughed. Atem immediately reached for the jar of water besides the table, filled a glass, and handed it to him. However, Yugi didn’t take it, staring at him instead.

He tried to speak and coughed again. Then he took the glass of water and downed a few gulps.

“Other me... is that really you?” he asked, putting the glass down.

He smiled. “Yes, partner. Do I look like someone else?”

Yugi smiled back. “No, but I don’t remember you looking this corporeal before.”

“Oh, I got this body from the gods. So that I could... come and help you.” His smile died as he remembered _why_ he had to do that, the reason why Yugi was here. Always because of him.

“Partner... I know the people who did this to you did it because of me. I-”

“Don’t”, Yugi cut him off. His jaw was set, eyes determined as they settled on him.

Atem stopped with his mouth open, confused. Why would Yugi not let him apologise? “But-”

“No. I don’t want you to say sorry for things that weren’t your fault in any way, shape or form.”

“Partner, none of this would’ve happened if it weren’t for me coming into your life-”

“And if you hadn’t come into my life, none of the good things would’ve happened, either.” His partner’s eyes softened, and he gingerly held out his unbroken hand. Atem stared at it for a second, before understanding Yugi’s intention and grasping it with his own hand. A small part of himself noted how strange it felt, to touch Yugi when he’d never been able to before.

“Now, listen to me, Atem, because I don’t want to have to repeat this all the time. Okay?” He didn’t continue until Atem nodded. “I don’t regret a _single thing_ that happened. Not being caught in a fire, not almost losing my soul to the shadows, not even _this-_ ” he gestured at himself with their joined hands “-can make me wish that things had been different. Because meeting you might just be the best thing that ever happened to me, and nothing will ever change that. _Nothing._ ”

Atem was glad that Yugi continued talking, because his throat was clogged with emotion and he wouldn’t have been able to speak. Of course he knew his partner cared about him, but to have him state it so vehemently...

“So I don’t want you feeling guilty for things that are out of your control, okay? Those sorcerers are the ones who decided to... force me to contact you. And _I_ made the choice not to let them, no matter what.”

Atem blinked. “Wait... what?”

In a few words, Yugi explained what had happened. And as he did, the former pharaoh was torn between feeling outraged at what the twisted magicians had tried to do, admiration at Yugi’s determination to hold on, and something else. He couldn’t name it, but it manifested itself as a sort of lump in both his chest and his throat, when his partner stated that he did it all so Atem wouldn’t be trapped again.

When Yugi was done, Atem stared down at their hands, trying to find his words. “Partner...” he began, not sure how he was going to continue.

Yugi gave a light chuckle. “If you’re going to say something self-deprecating in the vein of how I shouldn’t have done what I did, don’t waste your breath, other me.”

He lifted his head and felt almost dizzy at the gentle smile his partner wore. That something in his chest was made both better and worse. “I just... don’t understand what I ever did to deserve such loyalty from you.”

The battered boy’s smile just widened. “What did I _just_ say?”

“No, I mean it”, he insisted. “What did I ever do?”

Yugi stared at him for a few seconds, then tried to speak, but was interrupted by a yawn. “Man, I’m tired”, he said instead.

“Oh, yes, the nurse mentioned that you would be. They’ve given you some pretty strong medicine, to keep the worst of the pain away. I should let you sleep.”

“I don’t...” he began, only to be interrupted by another yawn. “Will you still be here when I wake up?” His partner’s tone was almost pleading, eyes wide and scared, and it broke his heart.

“Of course.”

“Do you promise?”

He squeezed Yugi’s hand. “I promise.”

The relief on the other boy’s face was palpable, and it made Atem both happy and sorrowful. He fell back asleep within minutes.

As it turned out, Yugi only woke up once more that day, closer to the end of visiting hours. The nurse was there, and decided to try and give him something solid to eat, for once. As he had his dinner, Atem tried not to stare too intently at it. It didn’t look very appetising, but considering that he’d only had the sandwich nurse Tamaka bought him, it seemed like the most delicious thing in the world.

Of course, his partner noticed, because he suddenly asked, “Have _you_ eaten anything at all today?”

“Yes.”

“When?” he continued, his tone almost accusing.

“This morning”, he admitted, and Yugi looked aghast.

“Why didn’t you get... wait a second. You don’t have any money, do you.”

“Nope”, he confirmed with a grim smile.

“Or any identification at all.”

“Well, I took care of that... somehow. I’ll tell you later.” Yugi’s eyes narrowed at the deflection.

“Okay, but pass me my wallet.”

Atem reached for it on the bedside table. The nurse had given Yugi it, explaining it had been on his person when they found him. The former pharaoh supposed that it hadn’t been left on the table like his cards for security reasons.

Yugi pulled out all the bills from the wallet and held them out for him.

“Take it”, he said, when Atem made no motion to grab them. “Get some dinner.”

“I can’t take your money, partner. You might need it.”

“What for? I’m stuck in a hospital bed. I don’t have to pay for food. There’s nothing I need it for. Take it.”

“What about your medical insurance?”

“That will be charged directly from Grandpa’s credit card, and I can pay him back when I’m home. Now stop being stubborn.”

Atem reluctantly conceded and took the money.

“And now that I think about it... where are you sleeping?”

“There’s a comfortable recliner somewhere...”

“Oh, no you aren’t.”

“Partner, you can’t pay for a hotel room from here.” He smirked, just a bit. “And even if you could, I wouldn’t let you.”

Yugi smirked back. “Like you’d be able to stop me.” Then he sobered up. “Seriously, though, we need to talk to the nurse. I think there are some areas for people who have to stay overnight.”

He was so adamant about it, in fact, that he pressed the button to call the nurse and ask about it. Nurse Tamaka reassured Yugi that she would arrange Atem’s sleeping accommodation, and soon afterwards his partner was asleep and Atem was following the nurse into a small room with a bed.

“I’m not supposed to let you in here without some paperwork”, she admitted, “but it’s late and I don’t want you sleeping in a recliner again. We’ll take care of it in the morning.”

“Thank you. I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Nonsense. Now, the canteen closes in fifteen minutes, I’ll get you something.”

“No need. My p- my friend gave me some money.”

The nurse’s eyebrows lifted for a second in surprise. She gave him a knowing look, but made no comment. “Did he? Good. Get some dinner, and then get some sleep.”

“I will”, he assured her, and he did.

x

The first thing Yugi was aware of, as usual, was pain. The second thing he realised was that it was nowhere near as intense as it had been in the last... well, he didn’t remember how long it had been. He heard beeping and became confused. Since when was there anything that beeped down in that cursed basement?

Then he heard the chattering of people, and remembered all of a sudden that he was in a hospital. That he’d been brought here by...

His eyes flew open. He blinked a few times while they adjusted to the light, and then he looked to the side. And there he was, sitting by him. He was idly scanning Yugi’s deck, and hadn’t noticed Yugi staring at him.

Atem.

When he saw him in the basement, the place that had become his own personal hell, Yugi had been sure that he was finally dead and he was in the afterlife. His other self had looked so miserable, though... He’d been crying; Yugi had never actually seen him cry. He’d tried to console him, but lost consciousness before he was able to do so.

The second time he saw him, in this hospital, he wondered if it was a hallucination at first, and kept pondering during the whole first part of their conversation. It wasn’t until he felt him grasp his hand that he finally comprehended it.

His other self was here, and _real_ , somehow. He’d come back.

To save him.

And though there was a tiny part of him that begrudged the fact that his other self had had to bail him out of a tight spot once more, it was vastly overshadowed by the joy he felt at seeing him again. He hadn’t let himself feel how much he missed him, knowing it was pointless and would only bring him heartache. But seeing him there, all those feelings were brought to the surface.

He now saw that, in this whole year without Atem, he had been missing a piece. He refused to acknowledge the hole, but it was very much there. And now that hole was filled again.

A part of their conversation came back to him, something about his other self’s body being given to him by the gods. Did that mean they were going to take it back?

He was afraid to ask. But he’d have to, eventually.

Not yet, though. For now, he would just enjoy his presence.

“Hey”, he said.

His other self looked towards him and smiled. Gods, that smile. He had forgotten how much it warmed him from the inside out.

“Hey, partner. How are you feeling?”

“Much better than before, that’s for sure.”

A frown creased Atem’s brow. Oh, right. His other self had tried to blame himself for what had happened. Ridiculous, but he couldn’t say he was surprised. He made sure to shut that idea down, though he knew some guilt would still remain.

“Partner-”

“Nope”, he interrupted cheerfully. “Don’t even try.”

The former pharaoh grumbled. “I was just going to ask if you needed anything.”

He rolled his eyes. “Sure you were. But now that you mention it, I’m thirsty.” He meant to reach for the jar of water beside his bed himself, but Atem beat him to it. “Thanks”, he said before drinking.

There was comfortable silence for a moment, his other self seemingly content to just stare at him.

“So...” Yugi began. “How’s everything?” He wasn’t sure if this was the best question to ask, but he couldn’t deny that he was curious.

“You mean... in the afterlife?” Atem clarified, clearly confused.

“Yeah.”

“Well... fine, I guess.”

“Oh, come on. It’s the _afterlife_. There has to be something more to say than that.”

So Atem told him about his friends and father, who he’d met again, and the gods that ruled the afterlife, and what he did daily. In return, Yugi told him about what he had been doing, finishing high school, and deciding to take this trip. He tensed a bit when he admitted that the reason for it was the anniversary of their last duel. He wasn’t sure what Atem’s reaction would be.

“Oh”, was all he said, and looked to the floor.

“Sorry”, Yugi began. “That was selfish of me, I know. But it just didn’t feel right, pretending like nothing ever happened. And I guess...” He hadn’t told any of his friends this; he didn’t want to worry them. But his other self was different. He deserved to hear this. “I was hoping for some form of closure.”

Atem flinched at that. “Oh, partner...” he said, looking at him with regretful eyes. “I never wanted to make you feel... unhappy.”

“More like I was missing something” Yugi explained, not sure he was making anything better, but unable to hide the truth. Not from him. Never from him. “I thought it was going to be easier to get used to, but it wasn’t.”

Atem seemed unsure of what to do for a few seconds, before he reached out and grasped Yugi’s unbroken hand. It was a comforting feeling. It reminded him that his other self was here and present, in a way he’d never been before.

“It wasn’t easy for me, either”, he revealed, making Yugi’s eyes widen. “I, too, felt like I was missing something. Even though I had my old life... well, not exactly back, but close, there was always a nagging emptiness. Like I knew I’d left part of me here.”

For a moment, they just stared at each other. Yugi felt tears in his eyes, but refused to let them fall.

This was the moment to ask that question, he knew.

“So how long are you going to stay? I’m guessing, by the way you spoke before, it’s not forever.”

“As long as necessary to make sure you’re safe.”

Yugi was confused. “Isn’t that kind of an arbitrary deadline?”

“Osiris didn’t specify how long I had”, Atem explained. “From his words, it’s up to me to decide when you’re safe, so I can return.”

The emotions inside of Yugi were conflicting right now. One of them was quiet dejection, knowing that Atem would indeed have to leave him again at some point, this time probably forever. The other emotion, however, was hope. After all, if it was up to Atem to decide when it was time to return... didn’t that mean he could stay as long as he wanted? He tried to quell that idea; Atem wouldn’t abuse the trust put in him by his very own gods, he knew.

Yet still, he hoped.

The rest of the day went by quickly enough, a welcome pace from his previous, eternal days filled with torture. He told Atem more of what he was doing, what their friends were up to, and even the new cards in his deck. He was pleased to see that his other self was looking better, now that he had an actual bed to sleep in and money to buy food.

That night, when his other self left after visiting hours, he went to sleep with a smile on his face.

x

Atem was having a hard time falling asleep. He couldn’t stop thinking about his conversation with Yugi today. More specifically, his question about how long he would be staying.

His partner said the deadline was arbitrary, and in a way, he was right. When Osiris gave him this body, he expected him to use it properly, and to return to him as soon as possible. Breaking the trust of a god would be dangerous.

So why was he considering doing exactly that?

He could stay as long as he thought Yugi was in danger because of him. That, potentially, could be a long time indeed. Who knew if there weren’t more maniacs around like the ones that had put him in this hospital?

No, no, it was wrong to think like that! To try and justify a longer stay... Regardless of the gods, Atem was _dead_ , had been so for thousands of years. His life had ended at sixteen; he’d had a sort of extension while with his partner, true, but he was still dead. He shouldn’t seek to prolong his presence here. It went against nature.

And yet, the part of him that had always been by Yugi’s side didn’t care about nature. That part cared only about his partner, and how excited he had been to see Atem again. Wouldn’t it make him happy, said part argued, if he told him he was staying here with him for the rest of their lives? Wouldn’t the same apply for their other friends, too?

However... Atem had always been afraid of holding Yugi back. Admittedly, it was unlikely that such a thing would happen if he were to have his own body instead of just sharing one with his partner. But still... he had a life, a career ahead of him. Would it really be right of Atem to just intrude on it like that?

With these thoughts running around in his head, it was impossible to fall asleep, so he got up and wandered the hallway until he reached a window with a beautiful view of the city. Thousands of lights illuminated it, and in the distance, the pyramids could be seen. Impressive indeed, but not enough to distract him, or calm him.

Suddenly, he heard steps, and hushed voices. Normally this wouldn’t have been strange, this being a hospital and all, but he felt a chill all over. This wasn’t just a couple of doctors or nurses on their way home; it was something else.

Carefully, he followed the sounds until he found the doorway beyond which were the rooms for the inpatients. And there, two robed men were standing, one of them holding his palm up. A second later, the door opened, seemingly by itself.

That door was kept locked to keep the patients safe, Atem knew. He’d been told as much by nurse Tamaka. Which meant that these two people were breaking in, and given their clothes and how they’d opened the door, he had a good idea of what they were doing.

He felt rage filling him, but controlled it for the moment being: his partner needed him. If he wanted to stop the sorcerers, he’d have to stay calm.

Swiftly and silently, he slipped through the door before it closed and followed them, not surprised at all that they seemed to be going straight for his partner’s room. Once they went inside, he was about to follow them, when he realised he needed a plan. If he just walked in, he’d be overpowered.

He looked around and found a fire extinguisher. Not what he’d hoped for, but it would have to do. Ever so carefully, he poked his head inside Yugi’s room, grateful for the darkness.

One of the intruders was removing his partner’s IV (as he now remembered they were called) and anything else that kept him tethered to a machine, while the other one was holding him down, one hand covering his mouth. There was too little light to see if his partner was awake or not, but it didn’t matter. What was important was that the men weren’t paying any attention to him.

He slid inside, crouching behind a table, and waited for the man who was walking around to go past him. The moment he did, he jumped out and thumped him on the head as hard as he could. The hit left him dazzled, and Atem wasted no time hitting him again, and once more for good measure, until he fell on the floor. The former pharaoh whirled around to the second sorcerer... and froze. The man had produced a dagger and was currently holding it to his partner’s throat. He still couldn’t see his face, but he could imagine it, with wide, terrified eyes.

“Don’t move an inch”, he said, with a grin, “or your vessel _dies_. Now, drop it.” Atem obeyed numbly, and there was a loud noise as the fire extinguisher hit the floor.

“You wouldn’t.” The words came out thoughtlessly; his partner had been kept alive all this time, after all. Although, now _he_ was here...

“We don’t need him anymore.”

Atem thought for a second, feeling the same way he did during the duel with Marik, trying to find a strategy to save his partner’s life. These people wanted _him_...

And the answer came to him easily.

He reached behind himself, on the supply table, where he knew a scalpel lay; he’d seen it the previous day.

“Hey, what do you think...” The man trailed off as the former pharaoh took the scalpel to his own throat.

“Let him go”, he ordered, “or this goes right through my throat.”

“Would you really kill yourself, _pharaoh_? All for _this_?” he pressed his dagger harder, and Yugi gasped. Atem grit his teeth.

“I did it before. I’ll do it again.”

The sorcerer had a moment longer to hesitate, and then his partner decided for him.

He threw his cast-encased hand into the man’s stomach, hard. The sorcerer wheezed and loosened his hold on the dagger, enough for Yugi to break free and roll off the bed on the other side. Atem thought this was an impressive feat, considering the bed had railing on both sides and one of his partner’s feet was also in a cast.

He didn’t let this distract him from his main goal, however. He launched himself at the man, who threw his dagger at him. It sailed past his face, grazing his cheek, and then he was on the sorcerer. They wrestled back and forth, but the larger man had the advantage and soon subdued him.

Atem tried to struggle free, and suddenly there was a _thud_ and the arms holding him vanished. He turned around to discover his partner, heavily leaning on the bed to make up for his unusable foot, holding the discarded fire extinguisher.

“How did you knock him out with only one hand?” the pharaoh asked, gasping. He realised, as soon as the words were out, that he probably should’ve asked if his partner was okay first.

Yugi shrugged. “I used the cast to sort of guide the lunge forward. And you kept him distracted, so I had time to aim. I think I might’ve broken the cast, though. That’ll cost me.” He sighed.

Finally, Atem was able to focus. “And are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” He thought Yugi might be smiling. “Thanks to you, by the way.”

“Well, I have to thank you, too, then.”

“You’re welcome.” His partner sighed again. “Now, then, how are we going to explain this?”

x

After answering a lot of questions from the police, the two of them were finally left alone. By then, though, dawn was coming and the hospital was starting to have people around again, so the staff deemed it unnecessary to get security for them at the moment. However, they were assured that they would get help for the night. Atem was allowed to stay with Yugi despite it not being visiting hours yet. Nurse Tamaka informed them of this when she came in to check how her patient was.

Once she was gone, his partner yawned. “Man, I’m really tired.” Not surprising, since neither of them had got any sleep the whole night.

“Go to sleep, partner. I can keep watch.”

“You’re as tired as I am. Don’t be ridiculous. Get some sleep too.”

Atem smirked. “I’d rather be tired that destroy my neck sleeping on a chair.”

In response, Yugi began moving to the side, as close together to the railing as possible.

“Come here”, was all he said. Atem’s eyes widened as he understood.

“Partner, this isn’t necessary.”

“You need to sleep as much as I do.”

“You won’t be very comfortable, partner. It’s not like this bed is made for two.”

“If you don’t want to, just say no.”

It was... strange, the idea of sharing a bed with his partner, true. But that wasn’t why he was objecting. His main problem was that his partner was still recovering, and given how tight together they’d be pressed, he was afraid he might hurt him.

“What if I hit you in one of your wounds?”

Yugi shrugged. “I’ll wake up for a bit. You won’t make anything worse.”

Atem thought it over for a moment longer. “Fine”, he said at last. The way his partner beamed at him made his heart skip a beat.

Like he had imagined, it was indeed a tight fit. There wasn’t room for both of them to be on their backs, so Yugi turned on his side and slowly, shyly, came closer to him, until they were fully pressed against each other. Atem felt his pulse quicken, but it was definitely not unpleasant. Quite the opposite, really.

“Is this okay?” his partner whispered.

His heart constricted at the fact that the other boy could think it would ever bother him. In lieu of a reply, he wrapped his arms around Yugi’s hips. He heard him release a breath and then he tucked his head under Atem’s chin. His hair tickled his throat.

“Good night, partner”, he murmured. He felt Yugi’s chuckle against his chest.

“Not really night, but I get the sentiment.”

The warmth of his partner’s body against his was comforting in a way he had never experienced before. It was true that, given his previous lack of a physical form, it never would’ve happened anyway, but the brief touches they’d shared now and then had been nothing compared to this. A little voice in the back of his mind whispered that, if he were to stay, it might be possible to continue doing this. He tried to ignore it.

He fell asleep listening to Yugi’s even breathing.

x

“Atem”, a soft voice called, over and over. He couldn’t make out who it was, or even his surroundings. All he was really aware of was the voice. Suddenly he recognised it, and bowed. Or tried to. He wasn’t sure if he was corporeal right now.

“My lord”, he answered Osiris. “What is it you wish of me?”

“I feel your internal conflict, Atem. How you are considering ensuring that your partner is always protected.” Before he could even begin to say something repentant, the voice continued. “I gave you clear instructions. How you interpret them is up to you. We gods cannot always make the decisions for mortals, after all.”

The former pharaoh blinked and found himself on the hospital bed, Yugi still tucked against him, fast asleep.

Had that really been just a dream? But Osiris’ presence had felt so _real_. And there was a lingering sensation in his mind, of something greater than he could ever be.

Had the god just encouraged him to stay? It seemed so strange, but it sounded like it.

The same thoughts from before rummaged around his head, making it hard to sleep. He was only able to find peace when he resolved to ask his partner what he wanted.

He was woken up by a gentle, but insistent voice. “My pharaoh”, it repeated until he stirred.

He looked up to find Ishizu Ishtar, of all people. “Ishizu? How are you here?”

“I may no longer have the Millennium necklace, my pharaoh, but there are some types of magic that anyone can sense. Marik was rather worried when he came to town and felt a strong and very dark energy, so he spent some time investigating what had happened. Imagine his surprise when he learned Yugi had been attacked. And it was greater when we learned who was staying with him.”

Interesting. “So... you’re here to help?”

“I’m here to escort you and Yugi to our home, where you’ll be safe from any more attacks. I already heard about what happened last night.”

She looked down at his and his partner’s position, and her eyebrows rose. “You shouldn’t do these things in public, you know”, she said in a tone that was faintly lecturing. “You’re lucky I came here before any nurse.”

Atem felt himself blushing. “Well, we were tired and-”

“What you and Yugi do in your private time is your concern, my pharaoh”, she interrupted. “But Egyptian people are rather close-minded when it comes to these issues. You should be more careful about it.”

Atem decided not to be irritated; Ishizu was only trying to help. “I understand. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Now, wake Yugi up, so we can get going.”

x

Yugi was having a hard time falling asleep, which made no sense, because he was exhausted. He hadn’t slept all night with the attack, and then their early morning nap had been interrupted by the Ishtars taking them to their home. He was grateful for their protection, of course, but he really wanted to sleep. He spent lunch yawning as the siblings questioned him as to the nature of the magic the evil sorcerers had been using, and then collapsed in his assigned room for another nap.

But he just couldn’t stop thinking about his other self, and the inevitable reality of him leaving. From what he’d said, it sounded like he would at least get a warning, if it was Atem himself who chose when to leave. Still, last night he’d found himself gripped by an irrational fear that he’d wake up to find him gone. So he’d... well. Snuggled against him, if he was honest with himself. And even more, despite his fear, he’d kind of enjoyed it. It had been comforting.

It dawned upon him that this was why he couldn’t sleep. He wanted to do that again. He huffed at himself. This was beyond dumb. Atem would never leave without saying goodbye, he knew that.

But what if Osiris decided to take his body back, for some unfathomable reason?

In the end, he realised that tossing and turning weren’t helping him, so he got up and headed straight for his other self’s room. He knocked on the door, and the other boy soon answered, looking confused.

“I thought you’d be sleeping, partner.”

“I could say the same for you.”

Atem shrugged and let him in. His room was the same as his: a large bed, an equally large television, and a desk with a chair. His other self plopped down on the bed, and Yugi sat by him.

“Sorry, were you sleeping?”

“Trying to. I assume that was your case, too.”

“Yeah.” He looked down at his hands, not sure what he wanted to say.

“Partner, I know what happened last night must have terrifying, and you feel that you’re not safe. But-”

“What?” he interrupted, perplexed, staring at the other. “That’s not why I can’t sleep at all.”

Atem was as confused as him. “No? Then what is it?”

“I...” How to put this into words? “I keep thinking about you going back.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. I’m... scared that you’ll leave suddenly and I won’t get to say goodbye.” There. It was out. He still felt a bit silly saying it, but he’d rather his other self know the truth.

Atem looked thoughtful. “About that...”

“Yeah?”

“Would you...” he trailed off. Yugi waited for him to continue. “Would you rather I stayed?”

Yugi felt that he couldn’t breathe. Was Atem saying that this was a real possibility...? He tried not to get his hopes up. After all, even if his other self could choose to stay, would it be right to? He had left for a reason, last time. The dead shouldn’t remain in the realm of the living, he knew. And his other self deserved to rest.

“Do _you_ want to stay?” he countered. That was the most important question, after all. Sure, Yugi would love to have Atem back, but only if that was what _he_ wanted.

The other smiled. “I asked you first, partner.”

“But it’s _your_ decision. You should do what _you_ want.”

“And I am asking for your opinion.” His smile fell just a little. “If you _don’t_ want-”

“That’s not true and you know it”, Yugi interrupted firmly. “I... I’d really like it if you stayed, other me. I won’t lie. But it’s your choice. If you want to leave, if you think it’s the right thing to do...”

“I...” Atem trailed off, looking thoughtful. “What I want, more than anything, is for you to be happy, partner.”

“That’s not-”

“Let me finish”, the former pharaoh interrupted. “I am... torn on this decision; that’s why I’m asking. If it makes you happy, then I will stay. Don’t think I’m sacrificing myself for you. It would make me happy, too.”

Hope swelled within Yugi like a current. “Really?”

Atem’s smile reached his eyes again. “Did you doubt that?”

“I...” No, he supposed not. After all, the former pharaoh had friends in the land of the living, too. They’d all be ecstatic to see him again. Yugi had simply supposed that he’d want to be with his old friends and family, instead, now that he remembered them. “I just... can’t believe it, I guess. You’re staying?”

There was a moment of silence. Doubt appeared in Atem’s face for a second, before being replaced with determination.

“I’m staying, partner.”

Yugi didn’t realise what he was doing until his arms were wrapped tightly about his other self. He didn’t notice he was crying until he felt pain and realised his sobs were disturbing some of his injuries.

Atem was _staying_. Here, with him, forever.

After a moment, his other self returned the hug.

He didn’t know how long they sat there, wrapped around each other, in silence. The discomfort from his wounds eventually faded away, leaving him with only sweet feelings.

Everything would be okay.

Eventually, he pulled away, just barely, not really wanting to break their contact. He went to speak, when he noticed his other self blushing slightly. He wondered why, before noticing just how close his face still was to Atem’s.

_Oh_.

He opened his mouth to apologise, when he inspected his other self’s expression more closely and saw that he was only surprised, nothing else. He didn’t seem to feel awkward at all.

And, to his own surprise, Yugi realised that it really _wasn’t_ uncomfortable. In fact, it was strange how natural it felt, despite the fact that they’d never been this physically close before. If he wanted to, he could close the gap between them and... wait, _what?_

Okay, _that_ wasn’t normal at all. Atem was just a friend! His _closest_ friend, for sure, but still a friend. And besides... Yugi liked girls! He’d never once thought of any boy that way!

So... why was he still considering the idea, then?

His eyes drifted downwards for a second, to his other self’s lips. He wouldn’t have to move much further to reach them...

Suddenly he realised that his thoughts were probably very clear on his face, and he looked up at Atem’s eyes again, worried about what he might see. However, there was no disgust or rejection of any kind. Only surprise and a sort of... wonder, maybe.

Did he want it?

“Other me...” he whispered, not knowing how to ask the question.

The other boy answered, though, letting his own eyes drift towards Yugi’s lips.

And in that moment, any hesitation he could’ve felt vanished.

He leaned forward until the slightest movement would connect them, and stopped for a moment, letting himself feel his other self’s accelerating breath on his lips. Savouring what it meant. That he was here, alive, and with him. (And nervous, too, just as much as him.)

Then he let their lips touch.

For a moment, they just held still, basking in the reality of what was happening. Then Atem began moving his lips, and Yugi responded in kind.

He had no idea what he was doing, and neither did his other self. But he couldn’t have cared less. He was focused on how Atem’s lips felt against his own, on their mingling breaths, on the hand holding his head to keep him steady while the other rested on Yugi’s thigh, on how warm and _real_ Atem’s body felt under his one good hand.

Eventually, they broke apart, though they didn’t separate. Both wore matching smiles.

“That was...” Atem trailed off, trying to find the right word.

“Yeah”, Yugi agreed immediately.

His other self tenderly brushed his hair from his face. “So _this_ is the reason you wanted me to stay”, he joked.

Yugi chuckled. “No, but it is a nice bonus.”

“That it is.” His other self wasted no time pulling him back in for another kiss.

x

Atem rubbed Yugi’s back absentmindedly. The other boy had long since gone to sleep, cuddled up against him. He hadn’t woken up when Marik opened the door to his room. The younger Ishtar had been looking for Yugi to check on his injuries, and was concerned to not find him there. Upon seeing him here, though, his concern had been replaced with a smirk.

Atem had blushed, but didn’t try to explain anything while Marik told him how to perform the medical procedure that had been recommended. He didn’t _have_ to explain. He owed the Ishtars gratitude, yes, but nothing else. What he and Yugi did was none of their business.

Now, assured that his partner was okay, he allowed himself to think about the future, and what it entailed for him. When he first thought of staying, he’d imagined his relationship with Yugi would be similar to what it had been before. An incredibly close friendship, although this time they wouldn’t be sharing minds.

It seemed like it would be more than that, now. Not that he minded. He could honestly say that the idea of kissing his partner had never even occurred to him before... but when Yugi had looked at him the way he had, it was all he could think about. It had been very enjoyable, and not at all awkward. He looked forward to doing that again. Not that they hadn’t already repeated it... over and over, actually, until his partner was too tired to continue.

Yugi had drifted off while they were talking about the future, and what they would do once they were back in Domino.

He was going to have a _life_. A life with his partner at his side.

A sudden thump, followed by a low voice that sounded like Marik cursing, broke him out of his thoughts. His partner, too, blinked awake.

“Wha...”

“Shh. Go back to sleep.” He kissed Yugi’s forehead.

Yugi buried his face in the crook of Atem’s neck.

“...love you”, he mumbled before drifting off again.

For a moment, the former pharaoh was stunned. Then, a warm feeling, similar to what he’d felt today when they were kissing, spread over him.

“I love you too”, he said, not sure if his partner had heard him.

It didn’t matter if he hadn’t. He had a lifetime to show him, after all.


End file.
